Utility desk



Sept. 28, 1954 KELLY 2,690,372

UTILITY DESK Filed Feb. 14, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet l Q 20 Z0 Z3 INVENTOR. LEO M. KELLY ATTORNEY L. M. KELLY UTILITY DESK Sept. 28, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 14, 1950 INVENTOR LEO M. KELLY aim ULMWL ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 28, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE UTILITY DESK Leo M. Kelly, Glenshaw, Pa.

Application February 14, 1950, Serial No. 144,174

(Cl. 3l2--286) 2 Claims.

This invention relates to portable utility desks, and, in particular, relates to that type of portable utility desks used as for taking part or artiole inventories.

In the past, utility desks of the type used in the taking of such inventories have been found disadvantageous, in that they required the user to make repeated shifts between erect and stooped positions, as in obtaining information at one location and recording the same on a pad resting on a desk at another location. A further disadvantage was that frequently utility desks of the type described were impractical to use because the location of the parts or articles to be itemized in the inventory was necessarily out of reach or inaccessible to such a desk.

t is an object of this invention to provide an improved desk of the character described, including a desk member and an upright support therefor, wherein the desk member is usable either on the support or at a point remote from the same.

Another object of the invention is to provide a utility desk of the type described having provided thereon desk space auxiliary to the usual top desk space, and selectively usable in a plurality of convenient positions.

These and other objects of the invention will be self-evident from the following brief description and the accompanying drawings.

Of the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating the improved desk in operative position with the removable top desk member thereon and the auxiliary desk being shown laterally extended to the right.

Figure 2 is an exploded side elevation, partly broken away and in section, illustrating an improved utility desk embodying the features of the invention, a top desk member being shown separately from its upright support in full lines, and in supported position thereon, in chain-dotted lines.

Figure 3 is a top plan View of the supporting upright or frame of the desk with the top desk member removed.

Figure 4 is a front elevation of the desk shown in i, but with the top desk member positioned thereon.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical cross-section, taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a horizontal cross-section taken substantially on line 5-6 of Figure 4, but illustrating in full lines the auxiliary desk top positioned at one side thereof.

Referring to the drawings in general, there is shown a utility desk i2; comprising an upright 2 frame I I for removably supporting a top desk member l2 (see Fig. 4). The frame H may include a pair of laterally-spaced front, verticallyextending legs 13 and 13a, of angle bar stock, connected at the upper ends thereof by an angle bar i4 and a pair of similarly-spaced verticallyextending legs 15 and I6 rearwardly of said front legs and being connected by an angle bar H at substantially the same level as bar M. In addition, the Corresponding front and rear legs are connected by angle bars l8 and is at a level spaced below the bars l4 and ll. The frame It may be further reinforced near the bottom thereof by horizontal connecting braces 28, 28 of angle bar stock, the same being connected between adjacent vertical leg elements l3, lSa, i5, and It. Convenient steps or rungs for reaching relatively high places are provided by securing braces 2i and 22 between the front legs in vertically-spaced relation from the lower end of the frame H. Similar angle bars 23 and 24 are secured backto-back to said rungs or braces 2i and 22, thereby increasing the top surface areas thereof. At the lower ends of the rear vertical legs are provided castors 25, 25 for facilitating free movement of the desk IE! over a supporting surface from one location to another and steel buttons 26, 26 are fixed on the lower ends of the front legs for providing stability when the desk is in a given position.

Built within the resulting rectangular area between the vertically-spaced pairs of angle bar legs l3, i311, l5 and [6, respectively, may be a storage compartment 3!! defined by bottom, rear and opposite sidewall members 3!, 32, 33, and 34, respectively, the same being made of wood or other suitable material. At the front and rear of the compartment 30 between the top of the sidewalls 32, 32 and the angle bars i4 and I7, may be secured laterally-extending blocks and 36, provided with opposite, inwardly-presented, laterally-extending grooves 3'? and 38, for sliding reception of opposite side edges of an auxiliary desk or shelf 4% to be selectively extended freely outwardly to either of opposite sides of said frame member II.

For limiting the extent of said selective lateral sliding movement of the shelf 40, stops 4i and 42 are provided on the underside thereof adjacent diagonally opposed corners of the same. Corresponding diagonally opposite cut-out portions A l and 45 are provided in opposite walls 33 and 34 for passage therethrough of the respective stops 4! and A12. The arrangement is such that when the shelf is drawn outwardly at one side or the other of the frame H to its fullest extent, the stop at the trailing or inner end of the shelf will be in limiting engagement with the inner face at the compartment sidewall at the same side of the frame. When the shelf is pulled out in either direction, as described, the stop at the leading edge will pass freely through the cut-out portions 44 or 45, depending on which direction the shelf is extended. For example, when the shelf 40 is moved to the right, as shown in Figure 4, the stop 42 will pass through the cut-out 45 in the wall 34, but the stop 41, being on the trailing edge, will engage the wall 34 and further outward sliding movement to the right is, accordingly, prevented. It follows that when the shelf 40 is extended to the left, as shown in chaindotted lines in Figure 6, the stop 4| will now be on the leading edge and will, accordingly, pass through the cut-out portion 44 in the wall 33 and the stop 42, being on the trailing edge, will engage against the wall 33 and prevent further outward sliding movement to the left.

The four vertical-extending legs [3, 1300,15, 16, have their inside angles presented inwardly of the frame (see Figures 2 and 5) and have short, upward extensions52, 53, 55, 56 above the sliding shelf 40, thus providing vertical guide members to facilitate vertical sliding reception of 2. rectangular base of the top desk member 12, the same being adapted to be supported on the braces Hi and ll. The desk member I2 may be provided with an inclined top 60.

In use of the improved utility desk, as an example for taking inventory, a pad 6! of data sheets may be removably attached to the inclined top 60 of the removable desk member [2 as shown, while a master inventory sheet or the like may be retained within the compartment 39. The auxiliary sliding shelf 40 may then be selectively extended laterally to either'side thereof for supporting additional writing or calculating material. The complete desk unit may then be pushed to any convenient location, whereupon the operator may stand beside the same or on one of the steps or rungs 21 or 22 and record the data required, in-known manner.

In the event that the material to be inventoried is located near the floor level, the top desk member 12 may be lifted out of the vertical guide 4 members 52, 53, 55, and and carried to a more convenient level. Upon recording the requisite data, the top desk member [2 may be returned to its normal position within said vertical guide elements.

Modifications of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the same or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A utility desk of the class described comprising: a compartment, including, a bottom wall member, a rear wall member, a front wall member having an access opening therein, a pair of spaced sidewall members having the opposite ends thereof secured to said rear wall member and said front wall member; said front wall member and said rear wall member being provided with horizontally aligned guide means thereon, and said spaced sidewall members being provided with respective diametrically opposed cut-out portions adjacent the top edge thereof; .a movable shelf having the opposed edge portions thereof receivable within said guide means, whereby said shelf may be laterally moved with respect to said sidewalls; and lug members diametrically spaced on opposed ends of said shelf, each said lug member being capable of reception through one of said cut-out portions on one said sidewall member but being engaged by said remaining sidewall upon continuation of lateral movement thereof.

2. The device of claim 1 further characterized bythe fact that the surface area of said movable shelf is greater than the surface area defined by said front member, said rear member, and said spaced sidewall members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 591,935 Quackenbos Oct. 19, 1897 791,112 Rothwell May 30, 1905 1,092,270 Kurtz Apr. 7, 1914 1,893,551 Kask Jan. 10, 1933 2,019,455 Lehman Oct. 29, 1935 2,172,605 Bourn Sept. 12, 1939 2,292,016 Scovil Aug. 4, 1942 2,542,244 Gerhardt et al Feb. 20, 1951 

